By Mustapha Darboe
Amid concern for their security, 29 Gambian migrants have voluntarily returned from Libya on board Royal Air Maroc on Tuesday.
The voluntary repatriation was funded by the International Organization for Migration, IOM, and came amidst concerns over safety of Gambian migrant workers in the North African country, most of whom want to travel to Italy via the Mediterranean Sea.
The Gambian Association that takes care of the safety of Gambians there with the help of IOM said it issued 10 to 20 emergency passports to Gambian workers and irregular migrants in Libya daily
“The living condition in Libya is getting worse every day. Salaries have not been paid for close to six months; no money in the banks, no Western Union or other money transfer companies in Libya,” Edrisa Sarjo, the secretary general of the Gambian Association in Tripoli told The Standard.
“Libyan coast guards are back to work with tight security along the Mediterranean Sea against people smugglers. This happens after a joint statement by the president of the Presidential Council and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, Marshal Khalifa meeting in Paris last week,” Sarjo said.
